Today marks the anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The anniversary has focused attention on the lack of compensation for the victims and the lessons learned by consumers and brands since the accident. But amid this flurry of comment, where are the voices of the workers in Bangladesh and what are they saying?

Nazma Akter is one such voice. She began her working life at age 11, in a garment factory, then progressed to become a union leader – experiencing harassment, blacklisting and job loss as a result of her advocacy of worker's rights.

Speaking at a recent conference on supply chains where business leaders congratulated themselves on progress made, Nazma provided a sobering reminder of the true cost of cheap clothes.

"Many of the female workers I have encountered end up with depression and other health issues. After Rana Plaza, many of the workers were scared and didn't want to go back to work … they would see a small crack in a wall and they would say 'this is not safe, we want to leave'."

"Not all of the brands have paid compensation. This is not sufficient, they need to pay up."

Despite her frustrations with the business community, Nazma believes consumers also have a role to play: "The consumer is the main one who can put pressure on the business leaders. They have to buy responsibly … they need to pay more and ensure it goes to the workers."

While her messages for both industry and consumers echo those expressed more widely by campaigners, she was hesitant to place too much emphasis on marking the day itself.

"Anniversaries should be to celebrate good things, not something like Rana Plaza."

This prompts the question, is there a danger that in focusing too closely on a specific event such as the Rana Plaza collapse, we may lose sight of the bigger picture?

The bigger picture in question here is the complex web of supply chains constituting the global garment industry and the rights of the workers it involves. For Nazma, engaging with this begins with recognising that compensation needs to go beyond the victims of Rana Plaza.

"There is a concern that when factory inspections lead to factories being shut down that the workers are not getting the proper compensation. Workers need to be insured against loss of work. We need to protect not just victims of the Rana Plaza collapse but all workers that fall victim to the unsafe workplace."

She also wanted to remind consumers that the picture is not black and white. Some workers may choose bad working conditions over no work at all, and some well-intentioned responses to Rana Plaza may have negative consequences.

"Western consumers must not boycott brands. This will be another disaster. Who are they really going to boycott? The women workers."

She also emphasised that on the anniversary of Rana Plaza we should be mindful not only of accidents but the full spectrum of labour issues for garment workers in Bangladesh.

"In general, they experience long hours, an overload of work pressures, and often have to work without proper drinking water and food … When they return home, they return to poor living conditions. Their wages are not sufficient and the housing renting market in Dhaka is very expensive."

While garment workers in Bangladesh have seen a 77% rise in the minimum wage following Rana Plaza, Nazma argues that unionisation will be the key to a truly empowered, and protected, workforce. Changes to labour laws in Bangladesh have produced a rise in union registrations, but "the number engaged in them is still too low," she says.

"Union rights are so important. We need the freedom of association. If the garment workers don't get this, Rana Plaza will happen time and time again."

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